Sanjay Dutt: his life and the law

By Hindustan Times

Sanjay Dutt will have to undergo a jail term of more than three years after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case on Thursday. The actor has already served some time in jail, so need not serve the complete five years of jail as sentenced by the apex court.

Even as Supreme Court sentences Sanjay Dutt to five years' rigourous imprisonment in connection with the March 12, 1993 Mumbai blasts case, we take a look at the actor's life and his share of controversies.

Born in 1959, Sanjay Dutt's early life has been a tale of controversies - drugs abuse, charges of terrorism and jail - the actor has seen it all. Even as the SC sentenced Dutt to 5 years' jail in 1993 Mumbai blasts case, we take a look at the lows and highs of Sanjay Dutt's life and his share of controversies.

1. Grand Bollywood debut
Sanjay Dutt, son of veteran actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis made his grand Bollywood debut with Rocky in 1981. Unfortunately, Sanjay lost his mother to cancer just three days befiore the film's release.

2. First tryst with law
Sanjay Dutt faced drug addiction in his early years. He is also said to have spent some time in a rehabilitation centre. He spent 5 months in prison in late 1982 after he was accused of possessing illegal drugs. Later, the actor also spent some time in a Texas rehab clinic in the United States.

3. First love lost
Sanjay Dutt's drug abuse also made his first girlfriend Tina Munim drift away. According to reports, Sanjay Dutt was dating Tina at the time.

4. Family struggles
Sanjay's marriage with Richa Sharma in 1987 lasted a few years before Richa died of brain tumour. Dutt saw his next encounter with the law, struggling to get the custody of his daughter Trishala. Sanjay lost the battle to Trishala's grandparents and Trishala was brought up with his in-laws in the US.

5. Bollywood success
Despite his personal turmoils, Sanjay Dutt continued to rock the silver screen with films like Sadak, Khalnayak, Naam and Vidhaata in the early 90s.

6. Mumbai blast and the allegations
The tragic 1993 Mumbai blasts changed the lives of several people, but for Sanjay Dutt, it has been the most pestering and worst case of his life. Riding high on the success of his movie Khalnayak, Sanjay Dutt was in for shock when he was named in the chargesheet filed in connection with the Mumbai blasts early that year. Sanjay Dutt was charged under special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court under Arms Act in relation with 1993 Mumbai blasts. It was alleged that Sanjay Dutt possessed illegal arms that were delievered to him by alleged terrorist Abu Salem. Dutt was also accused of hatching terrorist conspiracy.

The Bollywood actor was arrested in 1994 from Mumbai airport. The actor was charged under TADA (Terrorist And Disruptive Activities Act) and he spent around 16 months in jail before being released on bail in October 1995.

He was again arrested in December 1995 and remained in prison for almost two years. He was released on bail again in 1997. Dutt's Bollywood career suffered a lot as he could not keep his commitments of dates with various filmmakers during the time. His movies were releasing in meanwhile but he did not have any major offers in hand.

7. Second marriage, second struggle
Sanjay Dutt married model Rhea Pillai in 1998. The marriage went on well for some time untill rumours about Sanjay having an affairs outside his marriage. None of the reports were confirmed by either Sanjay or Rhea. However, Sanjay was often reported to be spending 'good' time with Sushmita Sen. Rhea and Sanjay Dutt were divorced in 2005.

8. First Filmfare Award
Vaastav The Reality brought Sanjy Dutt his first Filmfare Award in 1999. His performance in the film also earned rave critics' reviews for the actor.

9. Munnabhai success
Sanjay continued his success trip in Bollywood after Vaastav. He gave us films like Pitaah, Mission Kashmir and Munnabhai MBBS that won critical acclaim for the actor. Munnabhai MBBS also went on to win a National Award for Best Popular Film in 2004.

10. Mumbai blasts case: haunting revisit
The Mumbai blasts case was re-opened in 2006 and once again Sanjay Dutt spent most of his time (exactly 7 months) in jail. Sanjay was sentenced to 6 years jail in July 2007 for illegal possession of arms. The verdict, however, was a relief to Dutt as the court acquitted him of the terrorist conspiracy charges.

11. Gandhigiri time
The remake of Sanjay Dutt's Munnabhai as Lage Raho Munnabhai earned him rave reviews again in 2007. This was the first Indian film to be shown at the UN.

12. Family troubles
Sanjay Dutt married Manyata in 2008 at a private ceremony in Goa. He is now a father to twins, a boy named Shahraan and a girl named Iqra. Sanjay's family were reportedly not happy with the union. His sister Priya Dutt and others in the family allegedly found Manyata the wrong person for Sanjay.

13. Sibling rivalry?
Sanjay Dutt's sister Priya Dutt was miffed to see her brother joining the Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2009. Priya was quoted as saying, "For the first time since he died I am thankful he is no longer alive to see this ignominy."

14: Bollywood calling again
Sanjay Dutt's performance in Agneepath, a remake of the Amitabh Bachchan movie won him critical acclaim. In 2012, Sanjay Dutt played a significant role in Ajay Devgn's Son of Sardar, a movie that went on to earn huge moolah at the box office.

15. Final word on Mumbai blasts
On Thursday, the apex court sentenced Sanjay Dutt to five years of jail.